Opus Ryuichi Sakamoto

• Ryuichi Sakamoto (1952 - 2023): Lack of Love:
• 1 Sakamoto: Lack of Love 04:53
• BB:
• 2 Sakamoto: BB 02:13
• Andata:
• 3 Sakamoto: Andata 03:26
• Solitude:
• 4 Sakamoto: Solitude 06:08
• for Jóhann:
• 5 Sakamoto: for Jóhann 05:49
• Aubade 2020:
• 6 Sakamoto: Aubade 2020 03:44
• Ichimei - small happiness:
• 7 Sakamoto: Ichimei - small happiness 03:53
• Mizu no Naka no Bagatelle:
• 8 Sakamoto: Mizu no Naka no Bagatelle 03:45
• Bibo no Aozora:
• 9 Sakamoto: Bibo no Aozora 05:58
• Aqua:
• 10 Sakamoto: Aqua 05:12
• Tong Poo:
• 11 Sakamoto: Tong Poo 06:02
• The Wuthering Heights:
• 12 Sakamoto: The Wuthering Heights 05:13
• 20220302 - sarabande:
• 13 Sakamoto: 20220302 - sarabande 03:44
• The Sheltering Sky:
• 14 Sakamoto: The Sheltering Sky 06:22
• 20180219 (w/ prepared piano):
• 15 Sakamoto: 20180219 (w/ prepared piano) 03:32
• The Last Emperor:
• 16 Sakamoto: The Last Emperor 06:39
• Trioon:
• 17 Sakamoto: Trioon 06:39
• Happy End:
• 18 Sakamoto: Happy End 04:31
• Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence:
• 19 Sakamoto: Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence 05:47
• Opus - ending:
• 20 Sakamoto: Opus - ending 03:04
• Total Runtime 01:36:34

Info for Opus

Opus is a starkly intimate, self-performed elegy capturing a dying man’s genius.

A celebration of an artist’s life in the purest sense, RYUICHI SAKAMOTO | OPUS is the swan song of one of the world’s greatest musicians. As a parting gift, in late 2022, Ryuichi Sakamoto mustered all of his energy to leave us with one final performance: a concert film featuring just him and his piano. Curated and sequenced by Sakamoto himself, the twenty pieces of his played in the film wordlessly tell the story of his life and his wide-ranging oeuvre. The selection spans his entire career, from his pop-star period with Yellow Magic Orchestra and his magnificent scores for filmmakers Bernardo Bertolucci and Nagisa Oshima to his meditative final album, “12.” Intimately filmed in black and white, and surrounded by trusted collaborators—including director Neo Sora, his son—Sakamoto bares his soul through his exquisitely haunting melodies, knowing this was the last time he would be able to present his art.

“A gift from a master . . . An intensely moving experience.” (Alissa Wilkinson, The New York Times (Critic’s Pick)

“To call RYUICHI SAKAMOTO | OPUS a concert film would be correct and also drastically inadequate . . . A testament to the artistic spirit and, above all, an act of love.” (Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter)

“A spare, lovely work . . . The culmination of a lifelong journey.” (Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine)

Ryuichi Sakamoto, piano

Ryuichi Sakamoto
Born in 1952 in Nakano (Tokyo), Ryuichi Sakamoto has been active in the entertainment industry since his graduation from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.

He achieved western fame as a member of electronic pioneer trio Yellow Magic Orchestra from 1978 until the mid 80s. By then he started writing music alone, or contributing with artists, most notably David Sylvian.

His exploits include an Academy Award for his score to the 1987 Bernardo Bertolucci film The Last Emperor, the soundscape for the opening ceremony of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, and was even hired by the Finnish mobile phone company Nokia to compose ring tones for the Nokia 8800. He is maybe the most influential Japanese musician in electronica. In addition to making music, he has also acted in movies, most notably in "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" co-starring David Bowie, for which Ryuichi also composed perhaps his most memorable film soundtrack.

Trivia - he acts as a director in Madonna's "Rain" video. He also modeled for "The Gap" among other products.

This album contains no booklet.